Monday, 29 January 2018

Getting more veg into us

We've both put on a few pounds so far over the winter, mainly because we've both been less mobile recently - me because of my leg, husband due to having problems with tight chest, breathing and pains (he's just had a chest CT scan and is due to see a consultant in March). It may just be that his asthma is not so well controlled right now, he won't know for sure until he sees the consultant. In any event, we don't want to put any more weight on. So we've been discussing our diet and relative lack of exercise and working out what's best for us to do, bearing in mind our physical limitations and that we don't want to spend money on gyms or expensive foods.

We've decided to cut down on carbs (bread, pasta, rice, cereal, cake) and pack a lot more veg into our meals. I'll still make bread and cakes, but we'll certainly eat less of them and I'll use mostly wholemeal flour - I already use less sugar in cakes, have done for a couple of years, but will cut the quantity even further. We will have rice or pasta no more than once a week, and it will be brown or wholewheat.

We're having less meat nowadays, bulked out with pulses, barley and veg, but I'm going to make sure we eat even more veg. We've been having a lot of homemade soups for lunch, but didn't fancy soup today as it's not cold and is very sunny. So husband's having tinned mackerel and salad for his lunch, I'm having half a mango, a small piece of Brie, some home pickled cucumber slices and a rye crispbread. For dinner we're having a crustless quiche - roasted butternut squash, leek, mushroom & Stilton - with homemade coleslaw and vegetable salad. When we were kids Mum used to buy potato salad and vegetable salad in tins, do you remember those? I really liked the veg one, oddly as I didn't really like veg! But I think the fact that it was covered in some sort of mayo dressing disguised the fact that it was actually veg. Well, it occurred to me this morning that I could use the frozen diced mixed veg we have....just cook and drain it, leave it to cool, then mix with some herbs and creamy low fat blue cheese dressing. So that's about 10 different veggies with the quiche and sides, all in one meal.

Tomorrow we'll have the rest of the quiche with salad for lunch, then pork chops with baked sweet potato wedges, and more coleslaw/veg salad for dinner.

We don't often eat puddings, but I've got 2 punnets of blueberries picked up for 25p each yesterday...I was going to mix them with the last couple of our home grown apples and top with crumble. However, we'll do without the crumble, I'll just stew the fruit and we'll have some with a splash of Elmlea tonight (if we've any room after dinner)...the rest we'll have with Greek yogurt for breakfasts the next few days. I don't use sugar when stewing fruit, except perhaps for rhubarb and then only a little. I've got used to sharp tastes, husband might have a teaspoonful of sugar on his though.

So shall I come and stay for one month or two? Joking aside that is very much how we eat most of the time. We do have a pudding most nights but adjust the main course to allow for it. Tonight,s curry will have sweet potato and chickpeas so we will not have any other carbs with it.

I am really trying to up the veg intake. We don’t do puddings unless there are visitors or occasional Sunday one. However I always put a bit of weight on in the winter months and crave comfort food. :)

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This blog is about our daily life here in beautiful rural Somerset, cooking, baking, growing veg and fruit, furnishing the house with preloved renovated things, and making preparations as husband nears retirement.

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